Whoops, hit an unintentional button, my previous post on this topic was
incomplete... Sorry everyone.
 
Curtis,
I'm a bit confused by some of what you have written and have commented
below on the parts that i don't understand, that don't make sense to me,
or that conflict with what i know &/or have observed about honeybee
behaviour.
 
Curtis Seyfried wrote:
 
> For Discussion. Please read carefully and fully, do not use this
> advice
> until a full discussion and understanding has occured.
>
> Iam new to this list and know a little about bees.  I have also
> studied
> Western  &  chinese herbal medicine, Homeopathic medicine,
> aromatherapy and
> other alternative therapies for 26 years now.
> >From this I feel that I Might have somethig to offer this group.
>
> >From a herbal medicine (hm) perspective parasites of any form can
> only take
> a foothold in, or on, an individual when their natural immune system
> is not
> functioning properly.  This can be caused by many factors,
> environmental
> stress and pollutatnt, poor nutrition, and others.
 
So far, this makes sense to me, and i would identify both the varroa and
the tracheal mites to be environmental stress (of the choices in your
statement). They are certainly not caused by poor nutrition or
pollution.
 
> It seems to me that bees, like other life forms, would naturally be
> able to
> throw off parasitic mites if their immune systems were functioning
> normally.
 
This is where i begin to get confused...  it seems to me that the
parasites (external stress) would *cause* immune system problems and it
doesn't follow that manipulating the immune system in any other way (as
with vitamins or homeopathy) would *cause* the parasite to go away.  I
seem to recall that when each of these mites was
accidentally/inadvertantly/whatever  introduced to apis mellifera,
colonies were pretty darn healthy, so by this reasoning, why would they
have been infected in the first place?
 
> Cats and Dogs can be rid of fleas and other parasites by
> including in the diet nutritional supplements that parasites dislike :
>
> Garlic, Brewers Yeast, Thiamine (a B vitamin).  I have also rid my
> cats of
> tape worms by using an old antibiotic remedy called "Colloidial
> Silver"
> (CS).  CS is a titration (minute dilution) of the metal silver in
> deionized
> water.  It is created through an electrochemical process and creates a
> 1
> part per million or lower concentration.
 
These two examples seem to me to contradict what you said above about
manipulating the immune system to throw off the parasites. In both
instances you have used things that target the parasites, either by
making the cat/dog taste/smell bad to the parasite or by making
theintestine uninhabitable for the tapeworm(s).
 
> I am not recomending any of these to be given to bees, just discussing
> them
> so far.
>
> Herbally Echinacea (Echinacea Augustofolia ),  AKA. Purple Cone
> Flower, is
> an immune system strengthener.  Golden Seal  (Hydrastis Canadensis L.
> ) is
> also an immune system herb, which also acts synergistically to
> strengthen
> the action of herbs it is combined with. Marigold ( Calendula
> Officianalis
> ) is also another healer, it also is resinous which might increase
> propolis
> production. There are other herbs I will get to in later discussions.
>
> Possibly if Echinacea, Goldenseal, Garlic and Calendula were planted
> in
> proximity to the hives, thusly allowing the bees to pollinate the
> flowers
> and pick up the healing properties, this MAY help.
 
According to "Plants & Beekeeping in Canada" by Jane Ramsay and my own
observations in my garden:
Echinacea has only sometimes been a limited late source of nectar, has
occasionally been reported as unattractive to honeybees, is not a pollen
source and honeybees are rarely seen on them in the author's garden nor
in mine.
Goldenseal is not even mentioned as a possible nectar or pollen source,
perhaps because it is grown in more southern climates? perhaps because
it is of no interest to honeybees?
Garlic (and other allium) are mentioned as being a good nectar source,
sometimes pollen source, producing more nectar in moist areas but some
allium do not have nectaries, and unless planted for seed (or for forage
as you suggest) they are harvested before they flower.  My bees have
loved leeks and chives, but i've never let my garlic bloom.
Marigold is mentioned as a moderate source for late pollen. I seldom see
bees working my marigolds.
 
Besides the limited attractiveness of these plants to honeybees, what
would make us think that tinctures that are useful to human immune
systems and sometimes to other mammals would stimulate the health of
honeybees?
 
> Direct administration of these herbs to bees would be dangerous as the
>
> quantities to be given is difficult, to say the least, to determine.
>
> BUT, Homeopathic titrations of these herbs could be administered
> SAFELY to
> bees in sugar water. Homeopathy takes the original substance and
> dilutes
> (titrates) it many times. After this process there is CHEMICALLY no
> trace
> of the original chemicals present.  Homeopathy believes that the
> ENERGY of
> the substance is what effects the cure, and is what is transferred in
> the
> titration process. Homeopathy has been used extensively in treating
> babies
> and in vetinary medicine for its safety and NON-poisonous nature.
 
At the risk of tangling with another person's belief system, have there
been further scientific studies (than the ones i have seen) that prove
homeopathy to be more effective than placebo effect? If so, then please
point me to them. If not then i would doubt that homeopathy would
stimulate a honeybees immune system, since by all reports psychotherapy
and anger management therapy has failed to work for AHB :^).
 
On a more serious note, planting for bees "treatment" needs is not a new
idea. When mint oils were first being studied as treatment for tracheal
mites, we planted WAY too much mint in our home apiary (you can taste
the mintyness of some frames of honey) and i *believe*  it has helped
the bees in our home yard (not the same as scientific study).  There may
also be things that can be planted that honeybees like that will repel
varroa as well.
 
If i understand the research correctly (& i'm paraphrasing) studies have
shown that there's an odor (or someway) that the newly emerged
honeybee's cuticle communicates to the mites what age it is, and that
because it is young nurse bees that the mites quest for, if one can mask
their smell or make them smell older, less mites breed, therefore less
mites.  I would guess that this is how Dr Sammataro's crisco patties
work, likewise the mint oils and thymol, & probably also the FGMO.
 
Has anyone else on the list planted for their bees (other than for
nectar or pollen sources)???
What did you plant & why??  Do you think it was a successful planting??
 
TTYL,
Kathy
 
> Well enough for now, I'll add more at a later time.
>
> Peace and Good Health, (;->)
> Curtis Seyfried
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